Poet’s Corner Cafe: The Stillness of My Sorrow

It’s been a while since I’ve invited y’all to stop by the Poet’s Corner Cafe for some real knowledge exploration in the form of spoken word. So have a seat and come with me on this journey into grief by way of denial. Hope it speaks to you.

 

The Stillness of My Sorrow

 

I’m afraid to sit in the stillness of my sorrow

So I distance myself by using intellect to examine emotions

Posing questions with a philosopher’s practiced detachment

 

I’m afraid to sit in the stillness of my sorrow

Heart pounding with the fear of confronting truth

So I tuck my sorrow under my rib cage behind my heart

Where it presses into my back and prods me to say ‘Yes’

When a ‘No’ or ‘Not yet’ would be most beneficial

It pushes me to DO more

So I don’t have to BE more

 

I’m afraid to sit in the stillness of my sorrow

So I distract myself with pretty phrases manipulating words

Making art out of denial and self-preservation

 

I’m afraid to sit in the stillness of my sorrow

My shoulders tensely hunched and touching my ears

So I do not exhale

Don’t unclench my teeth

Because then the cracks will show

The sorrow will flood out

The broken pieces of me scattered and

I’ll have to begin the process of being made

Into someone new

 

I’m afraid to sit in the stillness of my sorrow

Because then there’s work to do

How do you cope with grief? Is denial something you use to make it through? 

Photo credit: Megyarsh / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Poet’s Corner Cafe: “The Brightness of Your Light”

Welcome! Grab a cup of coffee and make yourself comfortable. Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I hope you enjoy this poem about the beautiful relationship that mothers and daughters share. Don’t forget, if you’re a poet and you want to rock the mic in Poet’s Corner Cafe, click the CONTACT button up top. I’d love to help share your art with the world!

The Brightness of Your Light

Your light shines so bright

I am astounded by your beauty

Each chrism of glass holds a reflection of the very best parts of me

It is no wonder that I couldn’t see all of you clearly

I’ve been deceived by dancing shadows and the trickery of subtly changing seasons

As a mother it is my preemptive duty to protect you from outside danger

To instinctually keep at bay the lurking circle of predators and thieves

I thought I did that

How could I be expected to see the threat that lived inside of you?

I was blinded by my clairvoyant vision of your future

I did not see the hurt buried so deep that it imploded and exploded inside of you

I’m sorry

But you didn’t tell me either

I know you’re sorry too

Your future is still waiting

I will get you there

I will push you and pay in blood and sweat

And yes even tears to get you there

I will pull you until my limbs stretch farther than they were ever meant to go

We will broaden your scope of sight

You will be brave

We will travel back in time to arrive at your future

We will defy nature and return to a suspended space

When I breathed for you

When you gained nourishment from my body

When my heart beat set the rhythm for your first fluttering of life

And you will be born anew

My promises are true

I will get you to your future

And then I will continue to bask

In the brightness of your light

Photo credit: Rudy (New Routes) / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Jill Scott: Nothing is for Nothing on Def Jam Poetry

Guess what I discovered while watching poetry videos in the hopes that they would help me prepare for performing spoken word  at the “Voice’s from the Block” book launching party? Whew! I could barely get that shameless plug out in one breath. Anyway, I stumbled across this throwback video of the multi-talented superstar Jill Scott! I have to say, it makes me feel better about my performance anxiety when I see that one of the greats used a ‘cheat sheet’ to deliver her poem. It just goes to show, we’ve all got to start somewhere. I hope you enjoy it!

WARNING: This poem is just a tad bit explicit. It’s not vulgar, but I still feel that I should give you a heads up.

I like how she made sure to engage the audience and finished strong. Got any delivery tips for me? Let me know in the comments below!

Poet’s Corner Cafe: Faith Simone

Yep, that’s right, I’m representing for Poet’s Corner Cafe this week. I didn’t receive any submissions, so I’ve decided to rock the mic myself. I don’t mind! It’s the day before Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. This will be my first Valentine’s Day without a Boo in about 4 years, but I’m not tripping. I’ve discovered that investing in me and learning to truly love myself makes every day a day to celebrate love. So that’s what this poem is about.

Sit back, grab a virtual biscotti (or a real one if you’ve got it like that) and let me drop this knowledge on you. Enjoy!

Moving On

I am at peace without you
This lets me know
That the price paid for loving you
Was much too high
I was in a deficit
Lacking, hungering, wanting….
Yet continuing to give
A fool’s method of living
No return on my investment
But now I have turned
Everything I have to give within
And the dividends are flowing
Yielding, multiplying, growing…
Waiting for the moment
When a worthy opportunity arrives

Happy Valentine’s Day Y’all!

Photo credit: paul bica / Foter / CC BY

Poet’s Corner Cafe: J. Mahogany

It’s that time again: Poet’s Corner Cafe is open for business. Today we have the pleasure of another poem by J. Mahogany! If you’d like your poetry to be featured here on the  Faith Simone: All Things Written blog, please reach out to me via the contact tab at the right of your screen. Now, grab a latte, sit back and enjoy.

This week features my friend J. Mahogany who says poetry is how she expresses her passion and feelings.

 

 

 

 

Saying What I Feel

I can’t understand why my heart is so deeply in love with you.
I told myself our good-byes didn’t mean anything
And now I find myself sitting here crying,
Lingering on the broken promise of a future that never was
And never will be.
Well, because you’re you and
I’m me.

How did I end up here?
Why can’t I simply hate you and move on?
You’ve nestled somewhere inside me
So deeply inside that to lose you
Feels like I’m losing a limb.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t think straight.
As the tears moisten the bitterness of my heart
I feel it softly bleeding for you.

How is it you got here?
How did u get the best of me?
How did I not see it coming?
How am I in love….again.

I tremble.
What if this good-bye means forever?
The better part of me wants to scream.
Kick and scream for you to not leave.
Not leave me like all the others before.
But my pride won’t let me.
So I blink those vulnerable tears away
And smile as I hug you one last time.
I try telling myself to let go. Let go.
But I’ve never felt more safe and secure than in your arms.

I said I’d never let you see me cry
But maybe I should.
Maybe I should go out on a limb
And open my heart.
Hell, it’s already broken
What more can hurt?
Rejection, that’s what could hurt.

I’m gonna release you to your future.
And keep the memories of us alive
In the music I listen to.
And reminisce on our kisses when I feel lonely.
And revel in the fact that we were everything we could ever be in our moment
And whether our love is fleeting or lasting
I know in my heart it was real.